Forever And Always
by bklue18
Summary: It is never easy maintaining a relationship when the other is in the army. What happens when Stuart gets reported missing and dead while on a mission? Will she believe that he's still alive somewhere or will she give up hope entirely?
1. Marry Me

"Alright class! That's it for today! I'll see you tomorrow!"

The class of 8-year-olds who are in their 3rd grade all smiled and said, "Thank you, Ms Ong."

Jasmine smiled as she waved good-bye to all of her students as they filed out of class. She let out a sigh of relief as she turned to face her table to tidy up all the worksheets her students submitted.

"Um, Ms Ong, you forgot my worksheet."

She turned around expecting to see an 8-year-old boy but instead, a tall, physically well-built man dressed in an army uniform with the name Stuart Bennett sewn in to his left pocket, was what she saw. She smiled as did he before she practically leapt into his open arms.

"Stu! What are you doing here?! I thought you won't be back till next week!" Jasmine said  
"The training ended early so I came back a week earlier." Stuart said

Jasmine looked at his slightly tanned face from the time he spent in Iraq and leaned into kiss him.

He brushed her fringe to the side of her face and said, "You still look as beautiful as I remember you."

She blushed a little and he smiled as he pulled her close to him with his arm around her waist. They stayed in each other's embrace for a while, replenishing each other's need to hold one another. They broke apart after a while as Jasmine tidied up her desk before heading off with Stuart.

* * *

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming back early? I could have gone to pick you up." Jasmine said, as the two of them walked out of school, hand-in-hand.

He squeezed her hand lightly and said, "I wanted it to be a surprise."

Jasmine smiled as he flashed that adorable smile she loved and knew so well. They finally reached Stuart's truck, which was parked in the staff parking lot of the school.

"Have you been driving my truck to school everyday?" Stuart asked  
"Yeah. Only way to not miss you so much." Jasmine replied

He smiled and kissed her on the lips before she passed him the keys.

"I believe you'll be driving now." Jasmine said  
"You got that right." Stuart said

She chuckled as the two of them got into the truck and he started up the engine.

"So… Where are we going?" Jasmine asked  
"Somewhere." Stuart replied

He merely smiled at Jasmine just as he drove out of the parking lot. She couldn't help but smile as his teasing was one of the things she missed about him. Expecting to be at a restaurant or diner not far from their home, she was surprised to see him take a different route; one that led up to the hilltop.

"Stu… Where are we going?" Jasmine asked

Stuart just kept quiet as he kept on driving till they reached their favorite spot on the hilltop, where the view of the city and sky were free from trees blocking the view. Many memories surrounded this place. They first met up on this hilltop when Jasmine decided to take her grading of papers up to this hill and Stuart had just finished hiking up the hill. Their first date and first kiss happened here too which only made this place a lot more special to them.

Stuart cut off the engine and pulled out the keys before getting out of the truck. Jasmine did the same and stood for a second to take in the view before turning to face Stuart who was on the opposite side of the truck.

"Okay, what are we doing here?" Jasmine asked, her hands on her hips.

Stuart merely smiled as he walked over to Jasmine and picked her up to sit her on the top of the truck's bonnet. He held both of her hands in his before looking at her.

"What's going on, Stu?" Jasmine asked

"When I was in Iraq, I did a little thinking. I was thinking… What would I regret most if I suddenly died here from an enemy's sneak attack? And the only thing that I'd regret most would be not asking you to marry me. So, it gave me the motivation to quicken the training process so that I could come home to get you this." Stuart said, taking out a silver ring with small diamonds encrusted in it.

Jasmine had tears in her eyes as she looked at the ring in between his thumb and index finger.

"I know it's not much but I can promise you that I'll love you forever and give you everything you need, even if I may not have enough money to give you a comfortable life." Stuart said

Jasmine shook her head and cupped Stuart's face with her hands, "Why would I need a comfortable life when all I need is right here in front of me?"

Stuart smiled and said, "So… Will you marry me?"

Jasmine smiled back, "In a heartbeat."

Stuart's smile widened as he put on the ring for Jasmine before leaning in to kiss her.

"I love you." Stuart said, "Forever and always."

Jasmine smiled, embracing him, "Ditto."


	2. Married Life

**4 YEARS LATER**

"Next please!" The cashier called out

Jasmine placed the toys on the counter and turned around to look for her Stuart and her son when she realized they were not behind her. She gave the cashier an apologetic smile as she picked up her items.

"Um… Sorry… I think my husband's still choosing another toy." Jasmine said, getting out of the line.

The cashier rolled her eyes before continuing on to the next customer. Jasmine looked around the huge Toys R Us and sighed. This was going to be difficult. She walked around the store until she heard a two familiar voices coming from the Star Wars aisle. She turned into the lane and right in front of her eyes was her husband and son re-enacting a scene from Star Wars with the light sabers.

"You'll never get me, daddy!"  
"We'll see!"

Jasmine shook her head before saying, "Boys! I thought I said to meet at the cashier?"

Stuart and her son stopped what they were doing and turned to look at Jasmine. She hugged the toys to her chest as she crossed her arms, showing the two of them that she expects an explanation.

"I'm sorry, honey… We got stuck here." Stuart said

Jasmine raised an eyebrow, "Really? Stuck because you two have been planning on re-enacting the scene here?"

Her son whispered to Stuart, "Daddy… How did mommy know?"

"I don't know…" Stuart whispered back

Jasmine laughed a little before saying, "That's because I can hear the two of you discussing this in the car. Now, if you don't mind… Could we get to the cashier to pay for this so that we won't be late for Alanna's birthday?"

"Aww…" Her son said, disappointed that the fun had to end.

"You heard mommy, Stewie. Time to go." Stuart said

She looked at Stuart, "Are you trying to make me the villain here?"

Stuart flashed her a mischievous smile and Jasmine shook her head. She walked up to him and passed him the toys before walking up to her son and whispering in his ear. His little frown turned into a smile as he clutched the light saber tightly to his chest. Stewie ran up ahead towards the cashier as Jasmine followed behind slowly.

Unsure of why their son suddenly became the happiest boy in the world, Stuart stopped her from walking further.

"What's going on?" Stuart asked  
"Well… I turned things around so now, I'm the awesome mom." Jasmine replied

Stuart narrowed his eyes at her, "What did you do?"

Jasmine smiled, "I told him that he could continue the re-enactment at home."

"That's not fair! He gets a light saber?!" Stuart said

Jasmine chuckled and said, "Well, if you hurry up, you can get one too, big boy."

Stuart grinned widely as he picked up the light saber that he put down on a shelf before following after Jasmine. He outran Jasmine as he joined their son at the cashier to pay for the toys.

"Boys." Jasmine said to herself as she walked towards the cashier.

* * *

After paying for the toys, Stuart carried Stewie on his shoulders while he held the shopping bags as they headed out to the parking lot.

"Stu! Be careful!" Jasmine said, worried about Stewie on his shoulders.

"Relax, honey. I've carried heavier things on my shoulders." Stuart said

"I know… But you had free hands just in case anything happened. Why don't I carry the bags?" Jasmine said  
"No… It's fine. I can manage. Right, Stewie?" Stuart said

Stewie giggled a little, "Right!"

Jasmine smiled a little and shook her head as she walked behind them, arms ever ready to catch Stewie, just in case. The family got into the car and headed for Stuart's buddy, Randy's home. Stuart and Randy both served in the army together. When Stuart first joined the army, not many people wanted to be friends with him because of his deep English accent, letting everyone know that he was a British that migrated to the USA and not an American. Randy was the first to befriend him and they hit it off really well. They eventually became the best of friends along with Andrew, who was born in Scotland but moved to the USA when he was 16.

They parked their car behind Randy's family car and got out. Stewie was holding onto his light saber and was ready to bring it in when Jasmine stopped him.

"Stewie… What did mommy say?" Jasmine asked  
"It's Alanna's birthday. She's the special one." Stewie replied  
"That's right. So, let her be the special one and when we go home, you can be the special one with the new toy, okay?" Jasmine said

Stewie nodded and Jasmine smiled before giving him a kiss on the forehead. Stuart held onto Alanna's present as he joined Jasmine and Stewie on the other side of the car.

"Shall we?" Stuart asked

Jasmine smiled and nodded as she took Stewie's hand. Together, they walked up the front porch steps and Stuart pressed the door bell. The door immediately swung open to reveal Randy standing there with his daughter in his arms.

"Hey! Welcome! Welcome! Come on in!" Randy said, moving aside for them to enter.

Randy put Alanna down and Stuart squat down so that he was at her level.

"Happy birthday, Alanna. This is from me and aunt Jasmine." Stuart said

Alanna smiled as she hugged the present, "Thank you, Uncle Stuart. Thank you, Aunt Jasmine."

Stuart and Jasmine both smiled, "You're welcome."

"Stewie, why don't you join Alanna to see her presents?" Randy asked

He looked at his parents who in turn gave him a nod and he happily joined Alanna as they ran towards the table of presents.

Seeing Andrew coming to join them, she turned and kissed Stuart on the cheek.

"My cue to go." Jasmine said

Stuart smiled as he watched her leave his side. Before she entered the kitchen, she looked back and smiled seeing her husband engaged in serious conversations with his pals.

* * *

"Hey, Sam! Need any help?" Jasmine asked

Samantha, Randy's wife, turned around and smiled, "Oh! You're here! Yes! I could use some help!"

Jasmine laughed a little before joining Samantha at the kitchen island.

"Apparently the other mothers opted to sit outside and watch their kids." Samantha said  
"Well, lucky for you, I'm not the other mothers. So, how should I help?" Jasmine asked  
"Could you get me the toothpicks from the first drawer?" Samantha asked

Jasmine nodded and walked over to the drawers. She pulled open the first drawer and took out the toothpicks that were in a holder. She handed it to Samantha as she headed back to stand next to her.

"What took you guys so long to come over? You're 15 minutes late." Samantha said  
"I know… Blame it on the boys." Jasmine said

Samantha chuckled, "Let me guess… They got stuck at the toy store?"

"Yes. The two of them were playing with light sabers." Jasmine said, "Re-enacting a scene from Star Wars."

"Well, boys will be boys." Samantha said  
"Yeah. I could only get them to stop when I agreed to let them buy the light sabers." Jasmine said  
"At least that will curb their urge for a light saber fight in the toy store." Samantha said

Jasmine nodded as she helped to put the toothpicks into the finger sandwiches to hold it together.

"And… Done!" Samantha exclaimed, putting the last toothpick in.

She picked up the tray and said, "Let's get them out of the kitchen!"

Jasmine nodded and picked up the other tray before following after Samantha out of the kitchen. Together, they laid the trays on the main table and stood by the side as some kids came over to take the sandwich.

Jasmine went back into the kitchen to get a drink and leaned against the kitchen island. Samantha came back in and stood next to her.

She sighed, "Now that that's out of the way, I can finally relax."

Jasmine laughed softly, "Now you're making me not look forward to Stewie's birthday."

Samantha laughed before looking at Jasmine, "You okay?"

"Hmm? Yeah… Why wouldn't I be?" Jasmine asked

"You look… Distracted." Samantha said, "Is it because of the promotion Stuart got?"

Jasmine put her cup down on the kitchen island and sighed, "Yeah…"

"It's just a title, Jas. They know he has a family. They wouldn't just send him out on a dangerous mission." Samantha said  
"You think? But knowing Stu, he'd still volunteer to go." Jasmine said  
"Yeah… Randy's the same." Samantha said

She looked at Jasmine, "But I always have faith he'd come back safe. And I know you have it too."

Jasmine nodded, "Always."

* * *

About two hours later, Jasmine was busy chatting to the other army wives with Samantha when her son ran up to her.

"Mommy…" Stewie called out

Jasmine smiled, "Yeah, sweetie?"

"I fell down." Stewie said

Immediately, she carried him up and sat him on her lap.

"Where sweetie?" Jasmine asked

"Here." Stewie replied, showing her his elbow.

Jasmine looked at it for a while before saying, "That's quite a fall you had. Come on, let's go patch you up."

She turned to Samantha, who was looking at Stewie with concern, "Hey, do you have a first aid kit?"

Samantha nodded, "Yup. It's in the upstairs bathroom. Bottom cupboard."

"Thanks." Jasmine said

She carried Stewie up to the bathroom and sat him down on the sink.

"You've been a brave boy, Stewie." Jasmine said, opening the first aid kit.

"That's because daddy's brave too." Stewie said

Jasmine smiled, "So you didn't cry?"

Stewie shook his head, "Nope."

Jasmine smiled and said, "Okay. This is going to hurt a little."

Stewie nodded as Jasmine lightly applied the antiseptic cream onto the scrape Stewie had on his elbow. She looked at his face and even though he was wincing a little, he still put on a brave front. She smiled and put the cap back onto the antiseptic cream before putting a plaster on it.

"There. Be careful, okay, sweetie?" Jasmine said

Stewie nodded just as she planted a kiss on his head and carried him off the counter to put him down. Just as they exited the bathroom, Stuart appeared in the corridor.

"Hey, I heard what happened. Is he okay?" Stuart asked  
"I'm okay, daddy!" Stewie replied

Stuart smiled and carried him up, "Are you now, little buddy?"

"He said he didn't cry cause he wanted to be brave like his daddy." Jasmine said  
"I'm so proud of you, buddy. You are much braver then daddy will ever be." Stuart said

Stewie beamed and looked at Jasmine, "Daddy said I'm braver then him!"

"Yeah… I heard him." Jasmine said, smiling.  
"I wanna tell Alanna!" Stewie said

Stuart laughed, "Alright then. Off you go."

As soon as he put Stewie down, Stewie raced for the stairs, excited to tell Alanna everything.

"Be careful, sweetie!" Jasmine called out after him, hoping he heard her.

Stuart put his arm around her and pulled her close, "He heard you."

"He better. Cause sometimes, he's too much like you." Jasmine said  
"Oh, really? What about at the bookstore? It seems like you two have that in common." Stuart said

Jasmine looked at Stuart, "That's different! He enjoys reading. It's a universal thing."

"Yeah, I'm sure." Stuart said  
"Um, excuse me, Mr Bennett but what does that mean?" Jasmine said

Stuart grinned which made Jasmine smile as he started for the stairs and she followed after him, demanding an answer to their playful banter.


	3. Getting Presents

**Author's Note: I am so sorry for the lack of updates! Been busy at work!**

After Alanna's birthday party, the family arrived home at around 8pm. Stewie had fallen asleep on the car ride home and the first thing they did was put him to bed. Jasmine was in the kitchen putting away the leftover cake Samantha gave to her when Stuart came down from Stewie's bedroom.

"Did he wake up?" Jasmine asked  
"Nope. He's sleeping like a log." Stuart replied  
"Did you change him into his jammies?" Jasmine asked

Stuart went over to see at the breakfast bar, directly in front of Jasmine, "Yes."

"Night light?" Jasmine asked  
"Switched it on." Stuart replied

"And his -"

"His Chewbacca toy. It's there." Stuart said

He stood up from where he was sitting and walked over to where Jasmine was. Hooking his two fingers into the loop of her jeans, he pulled her close to him.

"Mrs Bennett… You worry too much." Stuart said  
"I won't say too much? Just a little." Jasmine said

Stuart smiled and kissed her, "You do know that it isn't the first time I put him to sleep, right?"

"Yeah… Mom hazard." Jasmine said

Stuart laughed and leaned down to kiss her neck, slowly and sensually.

"Stu… What are you doing?" Jasmine asked  
"My duty as a husband." Stuart replied

* * *

Jasmine woke up the next morning and smiled at her sleeping husband. He was sound asleep, with his arm around her waist. She traced his tattoos that were on his arm with her fingers and chuckled when Stuart scrunched his face a little. She leaned into kiss him on the forehead before she flipped the covers, ready to get out of bed. Just as she tried to move Stuart's arm out of the way, she felt it tighten around her waist.

"Stu… I know you're awake." Jasmine said

She chuckled as she felt Stuart's smile against her bare back. He nuzzled the crook of her neck and pretended to still be asleep.

"Stu…" Jasmine said  
"Hmm?" Stuart said

Jasmine laughed a little, feeling the vibration of his voice from behind her. He kissed her shoulder and hugged her close to him.

"We should get up… Stewie is going to be awake soon." Jasmine said  
"I know…" Stuart said  
"Then, shouldn't we get up now?" Jasmine said  
"I don't know… Should we?"Stuart said  
"Stu!" Jasmine said

He chuckled, "I know… We can't. But it feels good staying in bed with my naked wife."

Jasmine turned to face him and kissed him on the lips, "And we could always do that tonight."

Stuart grinned, "Is that a promise?"

"Maybe." Jasmine said

She kissed Stuart on the lips again before she went to wash up. Since it was a Sunday, she got up early to make pancakes for the family. It was a tradition that they had since Stewie came into the family.

As she was preparing the pancake mix, she heard her son giggle as he ran down the stairs with Stuart behind him. He helped Stewie onto the chair in front of the breakfast bar before smacking Jasmine's butt on the way to the refrigerator.

"Morning mommy!" Stewie said

Jasmine smiled, "Morning, sweetie!"

"Can I get dinosaur pancakes today?" Stewie asked  
"Well… I don't know… Mommy's never tried that before..." Jasmine replied  
"Hmm… Daddy can help." Stuart said

Jasmine cocked an eyebrow, "Can he?"

"Watch and learn, missus." Stuart said

Jasmine passed the bowl and pan to Stuart before she made her way over to sit next to her son. She put her arm around her son's shoulders while they both watch Stuart work. He masterfully flipped the pancake as he heard his son's excited laughter behind him. He did another few more flips before putting them on the plate for his son.

He turned around and put the plate in front of his son.

"Dinosaur pancakes." Stuart said

Seeing the round-shaped pancakes on the plate, Jasmine chuckled as her son shook his head.

"Daddy… This isn't dinosaur pancakes." Stewie said  
"It isn't?" Stuart said  
"Stu… Dinosaurs don't look round." Jasmine said  
"Oh, but it does. When they become fossils!" Stuart said

Jasmine looked at Stuart who grinned happily with his explanation and shook her head, laughing to herself.

"Daddy… I wanted real dinosaurs…" Stewie said  
"But they are, little buddy. Just that they are dinosaurs who turned into fossils." Stuart said

Stewie made a face before he turned to his mother, "Mommy… What are fossils?"

"Well, they are preserved remains of dinosaurs." Jasmine said, "They do come in round shapes."

She looked at Stuart who smiled gratefully at her for helping him. Stewie looked back at the plate and shrugged.

"Okay. Thanks, daddy!" Stewie said

Stuart smiled as he took out the maple syrup bottle and helped drizzle it all over Stewie's pancake. Jasmine kissed the side of Stewie's head before getting up to get her son a glass of milk. When she turned around, her husband had taken her seat, helping their son with his breakfast. She smiled and placed the cup on the counter before preparing bacon and eggs for Stuart.

* * *

After breakfast, Stuart and Jasmine dropped Stewie off at Randy and Samantha's before heading to the mall to do their Christmas shopping.

"Where should we go first?" Jasmine asked, looking around the mall.  
"To buy presents?" Stuart replied  
"We'll get to that… But, first, we have to get some decorations for the house." Jasmine said  
"Don't we have some decorations that we can use already?" Stuart said  
"Yeah… The ones that your mom sent over. But, they are for the house. We'll need some for the tree." Jasmine said  
"Didn't mom send you the Doctor Who ornaments?" Stuart said  
"Yes… But we need more than that for the tree!" Jasmine said

Stuart chuckled, "Fine, fine… Sorry, Miss Perfect."

Jasmine scowled a little at Stuart before saying, "Well, it looks like somebody isn't getting his reward tonight."

"What? But, you promised me that we could…" Stuart said  
"I said maybe." Jasmine said  
"Is someone going back on her word?" Stuart asked

Jasmine merely shrugged and was about to walk away when Stuart held onto her waist.

"Not so fast, missy." Stuart said

He held her waist and said, "I'm not afraid to publicly display my affection."

Jasmine chuckled and shook her head, "Okay, okay. Let's do my shopping first and we'll talk about it."

Stuart smiled, "You said it."

"Yes." Jasmine said, "Now, can we go get my decorations?"

Stuart nodded before leaning into kiss her on the lips. They held hands and headed into Macy's to do their Christmas decoration shopping. After 30 minutes of shopping, they left Macy's and walked along the shops to find presents. Jasmine spotted the LEGO store and wanted to head in when Stuart stopped her.

"What is it?" Jasmine asked  
"I need to go to the washroom." Stuart replied

"Oh, okay… Then I'll meet you here." Jasmine said, pointing at the LEGO store.

"Okay. I'll be right back." Stuart said

He kissed her on the lips before he walked towards the direction of the washroom. He turned around to look and as soon as Jasmine entered the store, Stuart changed direction and headed to Victoria Secrets.

"That will be $140."

Jasmine nodded and took out her credit card for the cashier. She looked at the entrance of the store just as Stuart entered.

"Hey." Stuart said  
"Hey… What took you so long?" Jasmine asked  
"Must be something I ate wrong…" Stuart replied

She signed the slip before looking at Stuart worriedly, "Are you okay? Should we go to the doctor's?"

"It's okay. I'm fine now." Stuart said, "What did you get?"

Jasmine smiled at the plastic bag, "I got the Star Wars LEGO set for him."

"The huge one he wanted?" Stuart said  
"Yup." Jasmine said  
"How am I suppose to top that?" Stuart asked

Jasmine shrugged and grinned, "Think hard, Bennett. You might lose best parent of the year again."

* * *

After buying several more presents, the two of them headed over to Randy's house to pick Stewie up.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Stewie exclaimed  
"Hey buddy!" Stuart said, carrying Stewie up.

Jasmine smiled and passed the presents she bought for Randy and his family to Samantha.

"Here's your Christmas presents." Jasmine said  
"Thanks, Jas." Samantha said

She took the bag and went in to put them down before coming out with huge boxes of her own. Randy took it from Samantha and handed it over to Stuart.

"Here's yours." Samantha said

Jasmine smiled, "Thanks!"

"So, you two will be coming to our Christmas party next week, right?" Randy asked

"Yeah." Stuart said, "You got our Christmas Day appointment."

Randy laughed and pat Stuart's shoulder. The Bennetts bid good-bye to the Ortons before heading towards their car.


End file.
